This application claims priority of Taiwan Application Nos. 90223534, 91212617, filed on Dec. 28, 2001 and Aug. 14, 2002, respectively.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bent metal plate, more particularly to a bent metal plate for use in an electronic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional bent metal plate 3 is used in an electronic device that includes a printed circuit board 20 and a conductive element 22, such as a heat sink. As illustrated, the conventional bent metal plate 3 includes a mounting segment 31 secured on the printed circuit board 20 by means of surface mount technique, a spring arm segment 32 bent from one end of the mounting segment 31, and an abutting segment 33 that extends from a distal end of the spring arm segment 31, that is adapted to abut against the conductive element 22 so as to prevent electromagnetic interference to an electronic component disposed between the printed circuit board 20 and the conductive element 22, and that cooperates with the mounting segment 31 and the spring arm segment 32 to define a buffer space thereamong with an opening 30 defined by a distal end of the abutting segment 33 and the other end of the mounting segment 31.
Disadvantages resulting from the use of the aforesaid conventional bent metal plate 3 are as follows:
(1) Due to the presence of the opening 30, the conventional bent metal plate 3 tends to become entangled with an adjacent bent metal plates during storage. Disentanglement of the bent metal plates is inconvenient and troublesome.
(2) During assembly of electronic components on a printed circuit board, a check list card is generally hung from a corner of the printed circuit board by means of a string for checking the progress of the assembly. Since the assemblers are seated at two opposite sides of the assembly line, when the check list card is passed between the assemblers, the string tends to be caught in the buffer space through the opening 30 in the conventional bent metal plate 3. Releasing of the string from the buffer space is time-consuming and consequently prolongs the assembly time. Moreover, the spring arm segment 32 tends to be permanently deformed due to pulling of the string from one side to the opposite side of the assembly line.
(3) The conventional bent metal plates 3 may collide against one another during transport, and thus lead to undesired deformation of the spring arm segments 32.
(4) The abutting segment 33 and the spring arm segment 32 may be permanently deformed in case a relatively high stress is applied to the abutting segment 33 of the conventional bent metal plate 3.
The object of the present invention is to provide a bent metal plate for use in an electronic device which has a particular construction so as to avoid the aforesaid disadvantages resulting from the use of the conventional bent metal plate.
Accordingly, a bent metal plate of the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a printed circuit board, and includes: a mounting segment adapted to abut against the printed circuit board, extending in a longitudinal direction, and having opposite first and second ends; a spring arm segment bent from the first end of the mounting segment, and having a distal end disposed above the mounting segment; and an abutting segment bent from the distal end of the spring arm segment, vertically spaced apart from the mounting segment, having a distal end generally aligned with the second end of the mounting segment, and cooperating with the mounting segment and the spring arm segment to define a buffer space thereamong with an opening defined by the distal end of the abutting segment and the second end of the mounting segment. The abutting segment is springily depressible together with the spring arm segment toward the mounting segment. The bent metal plate further includes: a first shielding segment bent from the distal end of the abutting segment toward the second end of the mounting segment to block an upper portion of the opening, and formed with at least one retaining channel; and a second shielding segment including at least one shielding piece that is bent from the second end of the mounting segment toward the distal end of the abutting segment to block a lower portion t of the opening, that cooperates with the first shielding segment to define a gap therebetween, and that has a blocking portion extending through the gap and the retaining channel and into the buffer space so as to deny access to the buffer space through the gap.